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11. Hook the syringe to the H2 side and slowly fill the H2 chamber. MAKE SURE THAT THE O2 SIDE HOSE IS CONNECTED. Before disconnecting the syringe pull the syringe back to near its starting position to put a slight vacuum on it.
12. When the H2 chamber is filled ??. from top, reconnect the H2 hose. Disconnect the O2 hose and fill the O2 chamber. MAKE SURE THE H2 HOSE IS CONNECTED BEFORE FILLING THE O2 CHAMBER.
13. While filling the O2 chamber make sure to keep an eye on the H2 chamber so that no KOH is forced out. To keep the KOH from being forced out add small amounts and pull the syringe back to avoid creating too much pressure.
14. Connect the O2 hose and set up the unit for operation.
15. Thoroughly wash any items that came in contact with the KOH.
Some of the How?nd Why?lt;br>
The vinegar is needed to neutralize the KOH. Otherwise the KOH will slowly move through the system and eventually damage or destroy the fuel cell.
KOH is used in the electrolyser because it is the best available conductor, and the reaction is such that the electricity pulls the O-H apart, leaving a free K, which then reattaches to another OH, leaving the KOH behind and creating the hydrogen and oxygen. This is a perpetual cycle, so the KOH can last for a long time, only being diluted by the small amount that is physically pushed out of the electrolyser.
The hydrogen molecule that is produced can be thought of as an ?mic level battery??ach hydrogen atom has 1 extra electron, and when the hydrogen is combined with oxygen, it gives off that extra electron.
The fuel cell takes advantage of the extra electron by giving it a current path to follow, thus creating the electrical energy.
Some tests to set up and try
If you have a multimeter you can do a lot of tests and experiments with the Learning Kits. Here is a way to measure the overall efficiency with only 1 multimeter.
1. Insert a 0.1 or 0.01 resistor in series with both the electrolyser input and the fuel cell output.
2. Measure the voltage input right at the electrolyser terminals.
3. Measure the voltage drop across the resistor.
4. Compute the current input E = I x R.
e.g. for a 0.1 ohm resistor, if the voltage across the resistor is .1 volts, the current is 1.0 amp I = E/R.
5. Multiply the current input by the voltage input, this will give a power reading in
watts.
6. This will give a power input reading.
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